4 quick fixes to make new year’s resolutions stick

environment, exercise, inspiration, wealthy wednesdays

4th Jan 2012 No Comments »

So it’s the new year, and you made a whole bunch of promises to yourself that this would be YOUR year to make stuff happen. Whether you want to

lose weight
quit smoking
start working out
get a new job
or get into a loving relationship

how can you make these promises stick? Simple – start working on these 4 areas of your life:

Environment
If you have habits you want to break, you’ll need to switch up your environment. You don’t want to keep walking past that cupcake shop if you know you they’re your kryptonite. So change the way that you go to work. A new route will give you a new perspective, keep you away from what you know is dangerous, and also help you discover new places you didn’t know about.

Social
Tony Robbins has said that the quality of your life can be determined by looking at who is in your circle of influence. Who are the five people that you spend the most time with? How are their thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors influencing what you think, say and do? Hang out with positive, uplifting go-getters, and I bet you’ll have more fun and get more done than if you’re hanging around whining, excuse-making procrastinators.

Emotional
What are you feeling, and even more importantly, what are you saying to yourself? Listen to that inner dialogue – yes, that running commentary that is always, always, always going. Maybe right now it’s saying, “Oh, yes, I agree with that last point, but not so much this one.” These thoughts can stop you dead in your tracks when you’re trying to make positive change.

Have you ever said something like, “I’m going to lose 10 pounds.” And heard that voice speak right up and say, “Oh, no you’re not. You’re too lazy. And you always fail anyway. Who do you think you are?”

This has got to stop if you want to make progress. First, recognize that these thoughts are just thoughts – and not even necessarily yours. They could be old thoughts and beliefs that you got from a teachers, relative, friend, or somewhere else. Then, when these thoughts arise, you can simply dismiss them with a, “Thank you for sharing.” Then let it go.

Physical
Change your physical state on a regular basis to keep yourself focused on making positive change. What do I mean by this?

Feeling sad? Try looking up toward the ceiling and smiling. Stretch your arms out. Do you still feel sad?
Feeling tired? Shake off your fatigue. Take a brisk, 2-minute walk, or turn on a favorite song and dance for a few minutes.
Bored? Get up, stretch your arms, take a few deep breaths. You’ll notice that bored feeling is suddenly gone.

Want to learn more? Join me for a special teleclass on Thursday, January 5 at 8pm EST – call in from anywhere. Sign up here for the details

Getting in shape in winter

exercise

2nd Jan 2012 No Comments »

I joined a gym 5 blocks from my house about a week ago. I had been a member about 4 years ago when I decided that I would work out in my home and outside more than I wanted to go to the gym.

That worked great for a while. It was when I was just starting P90X, and I had a strong motivator to get me out of bed before sunrise each workout morning – I was getting married. There’s nothing like photos that will last a lifetime to motivate you to get in shape.

I discovered that working out in the summer is great, but once the temperatures dip below 40 degrees, I have no interest in being outside, let alone trying to work up a sweat for 30 minutes or so. For the past two years, I have hibernated in the winter, and woken up in spring feeling groggy, stiff and tired.

Well, no more. Since I joined, I’ve started a weight-training program called Turbulence Training. Recommended to me by friends, it is supposed to help you burn off the excess in half the workout time you normally think you need. I’ve done two workouts so far, and they look easy until you start doing them. My hamstrings will tell you that something is working.

On my off days, I’m experimenting with the few classes that the gym offers. My first adventure was at Zumba class. I was worried about looking foolish and tripping over my own feet. But lo and behold, I had fun, and I didn’t fall on my face. I didn’t even feel like I was exercising, and I worked up a good sweat by the end of it.

Sometimes, just mixing up your routine is enough to get you started on a new path. I feel renewed energy in my life from mixing up my workouts and doing them in a “new” place.

My next step is to set a goal for myself. This will help me stay motivated and focused. In the past, I’ve trained for events as my goal – such as my wedding or an actual physical event. This year, I don’t have a milestone to reach, so I may have to invent one.

Past goals that I have accomplished include – finishing a mini triathlon in 1 hour and 30 minutes, completing a 350-mile bike ride, healing myself from chronic eczema, losing 10 pounds, and healing my underactive thyroid.

What do you want to accomplish this new year? Are you ready to make it happen?

I want to make it easy for you to get started. So join me on a special no-cost teleclass on Thursday, January 5 that will reveal:

What’s holding you back from getting healthy once and for all
What foods might be doing more harm than good
How you can get started easily this January

Go to the signup page to get all the details

Stop the mindless eating

inspiration, mindfulness, self care

13th Dec 2011 No Comments »

Isn’t it so easy to get a snack when you are bored or want to avoid cleaning, doing the dishes, or some sort of work or homework assignment? The snacks always used to beckon me to the kitchen, no matter if I was hungry or full.

These days I do a lot less mindless eating, though I have to confess that sometimes I eat in front of my computer. I know, this is not a good habit to have.

So, how do you break it?

First thing, make it a rule that you eat at a table, sitting down, away from the computer, TV, or other distractions.

Then, take a breath before you begin eating. Look at the food that you’re about to eat. Enjoy the aroma of it before you put it into your mouth. Sit there and give a silent thanks for the gift you’re about to receive.

When you take your first bite, savor it. Chew it well. Let the texture, flavor, and sensation take over your mouth. Focus on that only. Notice how the flavor changes as you chew.

Pause before your next bite. And pause after each bite. After you’ve eaten a few bites, check in with yourself to rate your hunger level. You might find that, if you keep practicing this, you don’t need as much food as you thought to feel satisfied.

Try it out for a week and see what happens. The new habit will feel strange and inconvenient when you start. But as you practice, you’ll see how much more enjoyment you get out of your food, and how much you were missing all of this time.

Five breakfasts to boost your energy

spices

12th Dec 2011 No Comments »

Ever since I took the ALCAT test, I’ve had issues with breakfast. The ALCAT is a blood test that shows you any food sensitivity issues you have, and then provides you with a list of foods that you need to eliminate for anywhere from 3-6 months. Once that time is over, you can add them back one at a time and see how you feel.

Most people don’t realize they have food sensitivities until they cut the offending foods out. As I discovered over Thanksgiving, when I slid off my ALCAT regimen, I am definitely sensitive to several different foods.

So, one of the foods that I’ve had to give up for the past several months is eggs, and as you know, it’s a staple on most breakfast menus. And it was one of my staples, too.

So what do I eat for breakfast now? Here are a few different options that I’ve been enjoying:

Apple with peanut butter – strangely, I can eat peanut butter without a reaction. An apple with peanut butter is one of my favorite light breakfasts.

Usana whey protein shakes – The key ingredient to my Skinny Jeans Sexy Detox Cleanse, these are tasty, easy to make, and sustain me until lunch.

Oatmeal – plain, no added sugar, with a handful of nuts and raisins. This keeps me going pretty well, and it’s gluten-free, too.

Leftovers – Who says breakfast needs to be sweet? Sometimes I’ll have a bowl of soup or some leftover vegetables and chicken.

Gluten-free toast – one slice of millet or rice and almond flour bread with peanut butter and a shake of Breakfast Fixer is ok in a pinch – I’d rather eat something less refined, but sometimes it’s all that’s available.

What do you eat for breakfast? Does it keep you going, or do you feel hungry before lunch?

Melt your stress now

inspiration, mindset

7th Dec 2011 No Comments »

The holidays are here! Are you having fun or stressing out?

If you’re feeling stressed, and you don’t want to be, what would you rather feel?

I say, be unreasonable. Let me explain…

I was sleeping soundly at 5:30 am this morning until my alarm went off. Yes, that’s an unreasonable time to get up. But I had already decided that I wasn’t going to let my excuses get in my way of doing what I need to get done. One of which is an exciting new project that I will tell you about soon…

So, I needed to get up extra early to write. My best hours for writing are really early in the morning.

I could have used many reasons for staying in bed, like:

The sun isn’t even up yet, why should I get up?
It’s so nice and toasty in here
I didn’t quite get enough sleep
Maybe I can do it later when I’m more awake
You know, I don’t really feel like it

But guess what? I decided not to let my reasons (which are perfectly good ones) keep me from doing what I wanted to do. So, I let go of them and became “unreasonable” i.e., without reason.

You know how much easier it was to write this blog post once I decided to just sit down and do it? The writing seemed to flow out of me as naturally as if we were talking. It feels good to just write and tell you exactly what’s on my mind.

Here’s the thing. You probably have lots of reasons (and good ones, too) of why you are stressed. They might be things like:

There are too many people in the stores
There’s too much work to do at work
My family is driving me crazy
I have to make all this food for all these people
I don’t have enough time to get it done
There’s no time left for me

But what if it was the reasons that were keeping you stressed? Then imagine what life would be like if you could let go of all of those reasons.

Imagine what the holidays could be if you were “unreasonable.” Maybe you could choose to ignore the shoppers in the stores, go to less crowded places, shop online, or shop at local stores.

Or, you could see your work as a blessing – because you do love your job and you’re now working on projects that are stimulating, challenging and make you think.

Or, you could realize that you’re doing the cooking because you volunteered to do it and you really do love preparing foods for your friends and relatives. And it’s fun to finally get to slow down and share each other’s company for a while.

Or, you could choose to make time for yourself and do something that you really want to do. Just because.

I encourage you to try something without reasons today. See what happens if you just choose to do it. Then ask yourself, “Am I feeling stressed now?” You probably forgot all about the stress that was plaguing you.

I’ve been nominated as one of the best health bloggers of 2011 – but I need your vote to win!
Here’s what to do:

Go to this page
Search for Live A Delicious Life if not in the top 10
Click the Vote button next to Live A Delicious Life

You can do this once per day until the end of voting. Please vote often!

How to start every day with more energy

food

28th Nov 2011 No Comments »

Monday morning after a long weekend – are you ready to spring out of bed and into action?

If not, don’t worry. We can fix that easily.

First, let’s start with a healthy breakfast. It will keep you going throughout the morning.

If you find that you’re not hungry when you wake up, it might be that you’re eating dinner too late or eating too much at dinner. If you skip breakfast, you may end up ravenous by the time it’s lunch. Better to even out your hunger and your blood sugar with small meals throughout the day – it will keep you in fat burning mode and out of fat storage mode.

What should you eat? Check out my special report – the 3 mistakes women make that keep them prisoner to the pounds. Because tip one is all about breakfast and will give you a number of quick and easy recipes that you can use every day of the week. You can find it and get your own copy for no cost on my website – just look in the upper right hand corner for the link to download it.

Stay tuned all week for more tips on how to jumpstart your health and life with your own anti-diet.

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Happy thanksgiving

happiness, love, mindset

24th Nov 2011 No Comments »

I’m so grateful for all of the gifts I have in my life right now – the wonderful family, friends, love, play, work, health, and fun.

Enjoy your thanksgiving. And take a moment to appreciate all that you have today – whatever it is you appreciate in your life.

What’s your wish on 11.11.11?

inspiration

11th Nov 2011 No Comments »

Yesterday in downtown Brooklyn, I passed by an empty lot that inspired me. The wood fence around it was painted with black chalkboard paint, and there was a basket of colored chalk attached to the wall. Painted on top of the black paint were several lines that started:

Before I die I want to____________________

A few hours later, I walked by and the wall was completely full of wishes.

Dreams scrawled over each of the lines, about travel, falling in love, living with purpose.

What does this have to do with 11.11.11?

Many people see this as a lucky day – sweethearts are lining up in Vegas to get married, moms-to-be have scheduled C-sections, and gamblers are hoping to hit it big in Lotto.

But whether you think it’s a lucky day or not… or a sign or not…

…waking up and noticing that you have dreams that you want to achieve is enough to start you on the right path to making them a reality.

AND – writing them down is a great first step to making your dreams into reality.

What are your dreams? How are you planning on making them a reality?

We are already almost halfway through November. Less than 60 days to the New Year. If you’re feeling stuck, or like you didn’t get to do everything you planned this year, it’s not too late to start.

And… you don’t need to wait until New Year’s Day to make a resolution.

If you’ve been feeling stuck – whether it’s with a health goal or some other area of your live – I’d like to help you get unstuck and share a few techniques that I have used to get unstuck.

And, I want to introduce you to Chernise Spruell, a powerful healer and advisor that has helped me quite a bit. Chernise is also an expert on getting the clutter out of your life so that you can have space to let in more of what you want.

Stay fit without militant exercise

exercise

19th Oct 2011 2 Comments »

I used to be an all-or-nothing exerciser.

It was either that I was working out all the time or not at all. It started with running, aerobics, weight training. Later my workouts evolved into hard-core endurance training for longer runs, century (100 mile) bike rides, and triathlon training.

And then, if I got injured or sick, I’d stop – and go for days without moving.

I didn’t think that you could be healthy without working out all the time and really hard.

So, it was to my delight that I discovered that I’m actually in better shape now that I don’t work out so hard, but still do more moderate workouts. Or, if I want to get super-fit, that the shorter, intense workouts actually work better than long, boring cardio.

In between the harder workouts, here’s something I do that works well and makes me feel fantastic:

Your turn: what’s your workout style? Do you workout hard or avoid it? Leave me a message in the comments section below.

Choose loving thoughts

magnificent mondays

10th Oct 2011 No Comments »

How much of what you do each day is your own choice? Or even your own idea?

Or, let me put it this way: How often do you find yourself humming some song because you just heard it on TV or in the last store where you were shopping? How many billboards, online ads, or commercials do you hear or read per day? How many messages are you unwittingly being exposed to each and every day?

Even the things you heard your parents, teachers, or siblings repeating make an impression on you. How does it affect the way you see the world or your view of yourself?

For years, I would get anxious over thoughts of not being good enough.

The crazy part was that I really believed that all of those inner voice thoughts were true. There’s no saying where all of those nasty things came from, and in the end it doesn’t really matter. What did matter was that I believed them, and then I would become upset about what they told me. And they just weren’t true.

Here’s the real truth: I have the power to control my own thoughts and what I pay attention to.

This may sound pretty obvious. But the truth is that many of us don’t realize how much our thoughts are influenced by sources outside of us.

It is so liberating to know that you don’t have to pay attention and don’t have to believe these voices in your head. They’re meant to keep you safe and protect you from risk. Maybe at once time they really did help, but now they just don’t.

The easiest thing you can do is just say, thank you for sharing and move on.

You can also practice using affirmations. Practice saying to your face that you love yourself or that you’re beautiful and look in the mirror when you say it so you can see how you react. Over time it will get easier and easier to shift your thinking to more positive thoughts.

Choosing better thoughts creates the future you desire.

Where are you getting stuck in your thinking right now? How could making this shift change your life, starting today?